The Seoul Institute


The Seoul Institute is the official think tank for Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It was established in 1992 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as The Seoul Development Institute, and its name was changed to The Seoul Institute on August 1, 2012.
The Seoul Institute aims "to upgrade SMG's policies and to improve the quality of life of Seoul citizens through professional research". Utilizing their in-depth understanding of municipal administration, expertise in policy area in charge, and vast knowledge of overseas cases, SI's researchers support the policy-making processes of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
According to the official website, "The Seoul Institute’s goal is to establish a medium- to long-term vision for Seoul and propose social policies on welfare, culture, education, and industries and urban management policies on city planning, transportation, safety and the environment. SI’s primary objective is to improve municipal administration through professional research, improve the quality of life in Seoul, and reinforce and sustain the competitiveness of Seoul."

Research departments

  1. Acceleration of ‘future studies’ required to design the Seoul of the post-growth era.
  2. Selection of ‘citizen participatory’ research topics and establishment of open-type research platforms.
  3. Enhancement of expert collaboration networks to realize ‘research innovations.’
  4. Support of urban diplomacy of Seoul through the creation of the Global Cities Research Center.
  5. Establishment of the Strategy Research Center with the aim of reviewing imminent municipal issues and discovering major agenda items of the future.
  6. Supply of major research results through ‘Infographics'.

    Publications

Aside from various reports, the SI regularly publishes a wide array of material including research on policy reports, global city trends, urban research in Seoul, economics in Seoul and administrative trends of Seoul.

History